Make Your Day Tuesday: Special Needs Santa Gives Back

By Michelle Sathe of The Signal

Daniel Mills can barely move, but his actions speak volumes.

The 20-year old Saugus man, born with cerebral palsy and confined to a wheelchair, has raised more than $2,500 in cash, as well as clothing, food, and toy donations, to help the less fortunate in the Santa Clarita Valley.



He did so through creative fundraising efforts such as appearing on local radio, e-mail pleas to family and friends, and the sale of T-shirts for $10 to the community through his Web site www.danmansheart.com.

“I don’t consider myself handicapped rather specially-abled. I have a brilliant mind trapped in a body that does not work so grand, but I believe you can do great things if you set your mind to it,” Mills said on his Web site. “I want people to know that even in the most dismal of economical conditions we can all give back to people less fortunate than ourselves. “

His efforts inspired many. Brandi Round hosted a Pampered Chef party and donated the proceeds. Richard Green of Green Nursery in Valencia contributed more than $500 worth of new toys. Wal-Mart gave them special discounted pricing of $5-$10 on jackets.

The majority of food, clothing, and toiletry supplies were delivered to the homeless residents of the Santa Clarita Winter Emergency Shelter on Thursday, Dec. 17, by Mills, his mother Mishele Megeath, their neighbors and the staff of Prima Pediatrics in Canyon Country, where Daniel Mills has been treated since he was 3.

“We got them 98 percent of what was on their wish list, everything except for latex serving gloves,” Megeath said. “They were in awe.”



A cache of new toys was delivered to children in hospitals throughout Los Angeles County on Christmas. The donated toys were are part of a “Share the Joy, Donate a Toy” campaign created by Mills’ pediatrician Dr. Rochelle Feldman of Prima Pediatrics in Canyon Country.

For his Dec. 5 birthday party last year, Mills asked guests to contribute cash for “Share the Joy, Donate a Toy;” he presented the resulting $440 as a surprise to Feldman the same night.

“I was in tears. I was speechless, which I never am,” Feldman said of the initial donation. “I told Daniel, ‘I think you found your calling. This is your life’s work.’”

Mills took his doctor’s words to heart, even though he almost lost his own life shortly thereafter, on Jan. 23.

Megeath woke up to find her son suffering from hypoxia, a pathological condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply, which he suffered as a result of obstructive sleep apnea. Mills was rushed to the hospital, where he made the decision to have a tracheotomy in order to continue to breathe on his own.

“Dr. Feldman and I were shaking, our knees were knocking we were so scared,” Megeath recalled. “I gave Daniel the final decision on whether he wanted the tracheotomy and he chose to do it.”

Before the procedure, Mills was capable of conversing with single words. Now, he relies on a DynaVox, an augmented communication device which hooks onto his wheelchair, in order to relay his thoughts.

The DynaVox, which has a liquid crystal display screen stationed in front of the wheelchair, allows Mills to “speak” through an electronic voice control with the touch of his cheek against a large red button positioned on the side of his face.

He previously attended Valley View Elementary, La Mesa Junior High School, and Valencia High School, but now, due to the tracheotomy, Mills is homeschooled by teacher Jeff Albert, who donated the T-shirts for Mills’ cause.

Programs on social studies, history, English, and more are downloaded to the DynaVox for Mills to study and he receives tests on each subject regularly, according to his mother.

“He’ll have vocabulary words appear on the screen and will be asked to choose the right word for a given definition. He gets good grades,” Megeath. “I told Jeff to keep it challenging for Daniel. He likes to learn and he’s very smart.”

A single mother since Mills’ birth, Megeath has fought long and hard for her son since the day she brought him into the world. Mills was born extremely premature – at just 24 weeks, he suffered from a grade four brain hemorrhage.

Doctors told Megeath that Mills would be a vegetable, but she didn’t believe them. She knew her son could see and hear. She was just 20 at the time, yet her religious faith gave her insight beyond her years.

“I believe in creation and I created this child. I asked God that if there were a chance for Daniel to live, for him to succeed in this life, to give me a sign,” Megeath said.

Though he was just two pounds, Mills grabbed his mother’s finger and held on through the portal of his incubator.

“It was love at first sight,” Megeath said. “I felt honored that God gave me Daniel, that He believed in me enough to be his steward. It’s helped me develop great character.”

In addition to Mills’ medical issues, Megeath, who previously worked as an office assistant, became the full-time caregiver to her mother in 1999 when she developed Alzheimer’s Disease. When her mother died three years ago, Megeath took in her dog Abby, a Schnauzer who provides comic relief and companionship for the family.

Megeath has continued as a full-time caregiver for her son; she is paid by the government for her services rather than them paying to have Mills institutionalized. After Mills’ tracheotomy, government funding has also allowed them to have a roster of three nurses provide supplemental care in the home, as well as the DynaVox.

For fun, Mills and his mother listen to music and take daily walks. Short driving vacations are another shared joy; the most recent was a trip to Lake Arrowhead this May.

“If Daniel could, he would pitch a tent and live outside. He just loves the outdoors,” Megeath said. “We haven’t been able to find an airline that can take Daniel yet, but he would love to go to Israel and New York.”

As his mother spoke, Mills’ soft, big brown eyes locked onto hers. He smiled and clicked his tongue, which Megeath said is a sign of her son’s happiness.

“He is my favorite person in the world to hang out with. I just love seeing the world through his eyes,” Megeath said. “We are very blessed. We may have not had all we ever wanted, but we have always had what we needed.”

Mills pressed the button of his DynaVox to share a prerecorded message he had created for the “Share the Joy” campaign.
“My heart tells me it’s very important for differently-abled people to give back to the community any way we can,” he said.

Megeath beamed at her son. “You are just the coolest thing ever. I am bursting with mama pride.”

For more information on Daniel Mills and his fundraising efforts, visit www.danmansheart.com.